Free Your Soul
by Kacy Myth
Summary: Natsu Dragneel stumbles upon the ghost of a young woman trapped in the house where she died and decides to help her move on. (Posted at the request of ladyluck1668).


The cottage was creepy. It had been abandoned for years, quite a few judging by the cobwebs and dust that had accumulated inside it. A few of the windows were broken, but none of the furniture or knickknacks had been touched by looters. It was as if someone had left the house for a short jaunt and never come back.

Worse still, were the sounds that emanated from it at night. Floor boards creaking, doors swinging, wind howling and whistling through the cracks. Most ominous of all were the sounds that had no business being in a house that old and foreboding. The sobs and wails that were rumored to be heard during the night.

The house was not the only place that was forbidden nor was the aura of malaise the only reason for it. A good one thousand five hundred square feet of property were untouched due to the swift creek that ran through it. The creek ran straight off a terrifying cliff face and dashed along the rocks below.

But apparently someone had once lived in this house for there were whisperings that someone, a young girl usually, had died falling off that cliff face, washed along by the river, colloquially known as Beast River. It was said this girl was the source of the wails.

All of these characteristic made it the perfect place for an adventure in Natsu's opinion.

Of course, the best time to go was at night for two reasons. One) there was a much smaller chance someone would see what he was up to and stop him and two) that was when this ghost was active.

So it was late at night when Natsu approached the cottage. He was mindful of the Beast River as, while he was not afraid of ghosts, he was slightly more afraid of being swept off a cliff and plummeting to his death.

He grinned to himself in excitement and he noticed how eerie the cottage looked. Maybe there would be a monster in there. Perhaps that was what was causing the ghost's screaming.

Were ghosts afraid of monsters? Probably not, he decided. They were usually upset about their death which Natsu supposed made sense. Maybe he could help the ghost. That sounded like fun.

But he was getting ahead of himself. He hadn't even seen anything yet.

So he tried his other senses and sure enough, he heard a few strange noises. Footsteps over creaky floor boards, opening doors, an odd whistle unlike that of the wind, and was that a whimper? Or a whisper? He wasn't certain.

Natsu pressed on. The grass was long and thick from lack of cutting but manageable. He safely made it away from the river and towards where he thought the front door might be.

The door was there, though he had trouble opening it. Years of disuse had caused the hinges to rust over and they creaked mightily as he pushed the door open.

He poked his head in first. "Hello?" No one answered, which was slightly disappointing but he entered regardless.

As suspected, the inside appeared frozen in time. Everything still perfectly in place, just aged, coated with dust and mold and cracked and decaying somewhat.

He was standing in a living room filled with a moth-eaten couch that looked to have once been quite comfortable, a cracked and rotting coffee table, and a dusty arm chair. No TV. How long had it been since the cottage had been lived in? Natsu wasn't sure.

He was, however, disappointed that no ghosts or monsters were immediately visible. Perhaps, they were waiting there, invisible.

He scanned about for the sources of all the noise. There was a door to the left that probably lead to the kitchen. It swung slightly back and forth as though someone had brushed past it.

That seemed like a good sign.

Casting a last glance around the living room, Natsu entered the kitchen. Grime was creeping along the tiled floor. The taps of the sink were rusted and Natsu extremely doubted they still worked. Natsu didn't want to look in the fridge. Who knew what was growing in there? He also doubted the lights work so he flicked on a flashlight he was thankful he'd had the foresight to bring with him.

The beam of light swept across the room revealing more mildew and broken appliances, nothing out of the ordinary for an abandoned cottage.

To his left again, however, there was a stair case leading up. The kind with steps that would creak if you walked up them.

And up the stairs seemed as good a place as any to continue his exploration.

At the top of the steps was a hall way with several closed doors.

And from inside the room on the very end, the sound of sobbing was emerging.

The sound was heart-wrenching. It instilled the need to comfort whoever was making those noises in whoever was listening.

So Natsu hastened his way across the landing, not even bothering to look into any of the other rooms.

His footsteps against the floor sounded surprisingly quiet and he made it to the room without any changes in the noises. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad but whatever or whoever was in there would know his presence soon enough as he pushed open the door. It creaked on its hinges and reveled what was inside.

It was a bedroom. From the looks of thing it had belonged to a teenager from the twenties, perhaps a bit younger than Natsu was now.

It was small but comfortable. A bed covered in a terribly ragged old quilt filled most of the space with room for a small writing desk leftover. There was also a door to what seemed to be a closet along the same wall as the entrance but none of that interested him for one simple reason.

There was someone on the bed.

Or at least, there appeared to be someone there…mostly. Their form gave off an eerie pale light and their silhouette flickered. They appeared slightly out of focus.

It was this apparition that was crying. They were seated on the bed with their face buried in their hands.

They had heard Natsu come in and when they jerked their head up, their form solidified allowing Natsu a good look at them, at her.

She was a young girl, nearly a woman, of about the age that the room must've belonged to her. She was muted in color but Natsu could tell her eyes had once been a bright blue. Her hair was long, falling down to her shoulders in straight lines with the tiniest bit of curl near the ends. It must've been white because it glowed brightly and no other color overlaid it. She was dressed in an old fashioned way with a knee length sleeveless dress and hat. The color scheme seemed to be light pink.

She was really quite pretty.

But looks aside, she was disconcerting because though she had been crying there were no tear tracks down her cheeks, just a miserable expression.

She jumped, raised her hands in defense and shouted "Aah!"

Strange really, weren't ghosts the ones who were supposed to be doing the scaring?

"Who are-" She stuttered. "Are you- What-" She paused, tentative. "Are you real?"

"Of course, I'm real," said Natsu, surprised. "I look more real than you!"

She looked down at her glowing, pale hands and nodded sadly. "What are you doing here?" She asked, shocked. "I haven't seen anyone in who knows how long."

"Probably eighty years or so." Natsu mused.

"Eighty years!" She cried. Natsu noticed her form was still solid now. Perhaps she was ensuring it stayed that way.

The girl sat down on the bed abruptly. "Oh no no no no no." She murmured. "It does feel like it's been forever though."

Natsu wasn't really sure what to say. Not because he couldn't think of anything, but because he had too many things to say and he wasn't sure what was the right one.

She spoke for him however after she'd composed herself once more.

"My name's Lisanna." She said, sweetly. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Y-yeah. Likewise. My name's Natsu." He held out his hand.

With a look of fierce concentration, Lisanna reached out her own hand.

It passed right through.

"Curse it all!" She cried.

Natsu was faintly startled but then he remembered why he'd actually come here. Ghost hunting.

"Are you a ghost then?" He asked curiously. "You look different than I thought a ghost would."

She nodded, miserably. "I guess I am."

"That's awesome!" Natsu said, excitedly. "I've never met a ghost before. I have lots of questions."

"This is…awesome?" She said. "Well at least someone's happy about this…"

"I'm sorry." Natsu back-tracked. "I forgot to ask. Why were you crying?"

"There are a lot of reasons." Lisanna said, evasively.

"I've got time." Natsu said. Normally he'd be asleep by now, but all the excitement had left him wide awake.

She looked at him curiously. "Well okay then." She sighed. "Like you said, it's been eighty years. I thought it was less time than that, but it certainly felt like forever, and…I've been alone. All those years. I wouldn't say I've been what you'd called conscious that whole time, but still. You're the first person I've seen in all that time. It's enough to make anyone cry, but worse than that…"

The air grew cold. Was that a power ghosts had or simply Natsu reacting to the mood?

"I have…had…two siblings. I need to know what happened to them. Did they live good lives? Did they have children? Eighty years…" She said again. "They must be gone now, and yet I'm still here. I can't leave. I can't move on to wherever I'm supposed to go. I can hardly even interact with half of the things in the house. What am I supposed to do?! Just stay here, consumed by my own thoughts and loneliness until the house crashes down around me?!"

"No." Natsu said, abruptly. He hardly knew this ghost, but he knew one thing. No one deserved that kind of hell. "I'm going to help you."

Her eyes widened. "You-you…what?"

"I'm going to help you." He repeated. He grinned. "It'll be fun! I'm always up for an adventure."

"You-you… I don't know what you think you could do to help, but thank you so much!" She beamed, then shyly added, "I'd hug you if I could."

He laughed. "That's alright. So what's the plan?"

"You don't have one?"

To Natsu's surprise, the hint of a smile was on her lips. Perhaps she was a good deal cheerier than she first appeared.

Or perhaps she had just needed someone to bring that out in her.

"Okay. Okay." She repeated. "We can think of one." Then she smiled, honestly and truly and full of hope.

And if he'd thought she'd looked pretty before, she looked gorgeous now.

If only she was in full color.

* * *

There was much to be done and more to be said so the pair of them went down stairs where they would have more space to talk and there was no danger the floor would collapse under Natsu.

"This place is a mess." Lisanna said, sadly. "And there isn't anything I can do about it, but watch it get worse. It didn't use to be like this, you know." Her voice turned nostalgic. "I used to love this house. I'd lived here almost my whole life. It was home, but now it's a prison."

"Hey." Natsu said. "Don't be like that. I said, I'd help you, didn't I?"

"You also said you didn't have a plan." She smirked.

"I don't." He agreed. "I think it'd be good to decide what we're trying to accomplish with this plan before we make it though."

She nodded, perching in the arm chair. Her movement didn't stir up any dust, didn't effect the chair or herself in anyway at all. It was very strange. She looked so very out of place, young and whole, amidst the brokenness.

"Okay." She said. "I've thought about this a lot and I think I have two options."

"Which are?"

"Either, we need to find a way to let me leave this area or….I want to go onto the afterlife." She took a deep breath or rather, gave the appearance of doing so since she didn't actually breathe air.

Did she even exist? What if she was all in Natsu's head? He doubted that somehow. She seemed much too real.

"I think I'm ready." She said. "In all likelihood my family are already in whatever comes after death. I want to join them. But if that can't happen. I want to at least be able to leave the house."

Natsu nodded. "Okay! Those seem like reasonable demands. Now do you have any idea how we can do either of those things?"

"Umm…" She thought about it. "No, not really. You?"

"Nope! How should I? You're the ghost!"

"But you must know something! Haven't you read any ghost stories?"

"Yeah, but in all of them the ghosts are evil and spooky. Not like you at all."

She laughed. "Gee, thanks."

"I mean," he gestured, helplessly. "You're…."

"I'm…?"

"Nice. And not spooky." And pretty. He thought.

"That's the first compliment I've received in eighty years. Thank you, Natsu."

"Um no problem."

"But still no ideas."

"Wait!" He said, suddenly. "There is one story…"

"Yes?" Lisanna said, eagerly.

"I think Lucy was telling me about it."

"Who's Lucy?" Lisanna wondered.

"She's a friend of mine. We go to the same school."

"That's nice." Lisanna said. "Anyways, the story?"

"Right! The story. There was a ghost in it. A nice one, like you. He couldn't move on because he still had unfinished business left on earth. I think his murderer was walking free or something."

Lisanna's eyes widened. "But I wasn't murdered…"

Natsu wondered what had happened to her. She looked young and healthy, but he decided this wasn't the time to ask.

"No, but maybe something is keeping you from moving on to the afterlife."

She nodded, slowly. "Y-yes. I think there might be…" She didn't elaborate.

"Oookay…so do you know why you can't leave the house? What happens if you try?"

She seized upon the change of topic gratefully. "It won't let me. If I try to leave, I get stuck, but I've noticed if I try to pass over the river, I dissolve."

"The river? But it's still on the grounds."

She shrugged. "I think I heard something about ghosts not being able to form over running water. It was used as a pro caution against them." She stuck her tongue out. "I don't know why. We're perfectly friendly."

Natsu laughed. How could she switch between such sadness and such light-heartedness? "I wonder why you're stuck specifically to the grounds though. There's got to be a reason."

"I-," She paused. "Since neither of us have any ideas maybe you could do some research."

"Research?" Natsu said, skeptically. "Sounds a bit boring if you ask me."

"Please!" Lisanna pleaded. "You're researching how to free a ghost! How is that boring?"

"I just imagined with ghosts there would be more excitement. Scary noises, thrilling action sequences, some kind of ray guns maybe."

"What?"

"You know, like in Ghostbusters or something?"

"…ghostbusters?"

"Oh yeah. You're from…." He paused. "What year did you die?"

She shifted awkwardly a bit. "Nineteen twenty-one."

"Yeah, I'm fairly certain Ghostbusters came out a lot later than that." Natsu nodded. "You've missed out on a lot."

"You're telling me!" She cried. "That why I want out!" Then she laughed. "This is ridiculous. Are you sure I'm not dreaming? You'd have thought after eighty plus years I would've accepted it by now, but nothing seems real."

"I'm sorry." Natsu replied honestly. "I guess I just don't know what it's like to be a ghost or to be so alone."

"I'm sorry too." She said. "I'm not helping matters. Besides, it's not all bad being a ghost. Watch this."

She jumped up out of her seat and didn't come back down. Instead she was hovering in the air.

"Whoa!" Natsu said. "So ghosts really can fly?"

She nodded, leaning to propel herself forward. "It took me a while to figure out how all of this works, but well, I've had the time."

She zipped around the room in circles.

"Wow! What else can you do?" Natsu asked. "Can ghosts really walk through walls?" This seemed a good time to ask all of his questions.

"Uh huh. Somethings I can touch and something I can't." To prove her point, she floated up through the ceiling then came back down and landed on the floor. "I can't really effect anything though except…" She walked over to the door and swung it back and forth. "Doors for some reason. I wonder why."

"For dramatic effect!"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling.

"Aren't ghosts sometimes invisible?" Natsu asked.

"Oh you mean like this." She grinned, then promptly faded out of existence.

"Whoa! Where'd you go?" Natsu looked around.

"Boo!" said a voice by his ear.

He jumped and turned. Lisanna was right there, inches from him, but he felt no warmth, no human presence

"Being a ghost is a lot more fun when you have someone else to be with." Lisanna said, simply.

Natsu smiled. "I'd imagine." He suddenly started. "What time is it?"

"I don't know. The clock stopped working years ago."

Natsu pulled out his phone.

2:39 AM

"Aww crap!" Natsu cursed. "I've got somewhere to be tomorrow!"

"What is-"

"Sorry, Lisanna! I'll have to explain modern technology to you later, but now I've got to go!"

Lisanna's eyes widened. "You're coming back, right?"

"Of course," he grinned, halfway out the door. "I said I'd help you and besides, we're friends now. I'll be back tomorrow. No wait, later today? I'll be back soon!"

"We're…friends?" She smiled, happily. "Okay then, Natsu! I'll see you soon!"

The door swung shut behind him, but before it did he thought he heard her murmur, "This is the happiest I've felt in ages."

* * *

Natsu had gotten to sleep late that night. Even once he'd returned home it had taken him some time to calm down enough to sleep, but when he did he slept deeply.

So deeply in fact that he nearly missed going to the place he had to be at.

He woke with less than an hour before he was supposed to be there but he was loathe to break a promise so he managed to make it in time.

The place he was meant to be was at the community center with his friends, Gray, Lucy, and Erza.

It was summer so they didn't have school, but they still hung out regularly and Natsu used the opportunity to pump Lucy for information about ghosts. That seemed easier than actual research.

After a bit she got suspicious however, "Why are you so curious about ghosts?" she asked.

"You know that abandoned cottage with the creek?"

"What?" Gray scoffed. "You think there's a ghost there? You're telling me you actually believe that crap?"

"It isn't crap!" He protested. "There is a ghost there and I saw her!"

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it, Natsu?" Erza asked, dryly.

"Yeah!" He said, indignantly. "I went there last night and met her! Her name's Lisanna and she died about eighty years ago!"

"That's a pretty tall tale." Lucy said, reasonably. "Even for you."

"It's true!" He insisted.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't believe you. I just said it was a tall tale."

Suddenly her phone went off. She pulled it from her person and checked it. "Oh it's…" She colored slightly. "I've got to go. I'll see you guys later. Natsu, I'll email you that information on ghosts later. Bye!"

She left.

"That was strange." Erza noted.

"You think so?" Gray said, dryly. "Seems obvious to me."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu said, surprised by the turn of the conversation. One would've thought the topic of a ghost would've held the conversation better.

"I'm not surprised you haven't figured it out." Gray said, snidely.

"What's that supposed to-" Natsu began, temper rising.

"Enough!" Erza said, loudly. "What do you mean, Gray?" Her eyes gleamed with interest.

"She obviously got a message from Loke. Have you seen the guy? He's not exactly subtle."

"Really?" Erza said. Erza kept talking, gossiping about something or other but Natsu wasn't paying attention.

He was thinking back on the previous night and how he could implement the information Lucy had given him before she'd left. It wasn't much.

Still, with the rest of his friends occupied maybe now would be a good chance to go back to the cottage.

He stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To the abandoned cottage."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Try not to get yourself killed. I don't feel like attending a funeral this summer."

"You were serious?" said Erza. intrigued. "Allow me to accompany you. I'd like to see a ghost."

"You believe him?" Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Screw you, Gray." Natsu said, irritably. "Sure thing, Erza. Lisanna would probably like to see another person."

"Are you sure you won't join us, Gray?" Erza said, ignoring their bickering. "It's a rare opportunity to see a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm sure." He said. "I'm not hiking through all that grass and into an abandoned cottage just because flame-brain said there's a ghost."

"What did you call me?!" Natsu growled.

"Later!" Erza barked, grabbing Natsu by the back of his collar. He went slack as she dragged him out the door. "I want to see this ghost. Good bye, Gray."

Natsu griped for a bit before Erza released him and they walked onwards towards the abandoned cottage.

"So tell me about this ghost." Erza commanded.

"Well…she's really pretty and really sad, but she can act so happy too." Natsu said, simply.

"Is that so? What el-" She broke off mid-sentence and her expression morphed from one of intrigue to a strangely gooey expression.

"I shall have to see you later," she said, changing directions. "I have something else I need to do."

"What the-!" Natsu exclaimed. "What's with everyone today?!"

She headed in the direction of a coffee shop which someone was entering. Natsu caught a flash of blue before the door swung shut behind them.

Erza entered soon after leaving Natsu perplexed. What or who could cause friends to abandon each other?

He continued onwards. At least, he could still see Lisanna and fill her in on the new information he'd gathered which admittedly wasn't much, but he'd get more later whenever Lucy emailed him.

It was easier to reach the house by following along the path he'd fought through last time and although the cottage was just as decrepit as last night, it appeared much less threatening in the day light.

There was something else different as well. No sobbing, no strange noises of any kind.

He figured that was a good sign.

He pushed the creaky door open and peered inside. She wasn't immediately noticeable but she could be anywhere in the house or simply invisible.

"Hello?" He called, cheerfully. "Lisanna?"

She appeared suddenly, going from invisible to nearly in focus in just a second.

"Natsu!" She said, happily. "You came back!"

"Yup." He grinned. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No!" She protested. "Well maybe I did worry you would forget a little bit…but the point is you're here now. Did you get any research done?"

"A little bit. I asked Lucy some questions when we and the rest of our friends met up today." He said. "Before she wondered why I was asking and then we started talking about you, but then her phone rang and we all got distracted."

"That reminds me." Lisanna said. "You said you would tell me about modern technology, was it?"

"Oh yeah!" He said. "But if we're going to be chatting all day, can we find some place to sit? I don't trust the couches in here."

"Wise choice." She agreed. "I guess we could sit in the grass outside?" She suggested. There's a patch that's been trimmed short by a nice family of rabbits who live nearby. I like the rabbits. They're much better company than the rats." She wrinkled her nose as she opened the door for him and they stepped outside.

"Rabbits are nice." Natsu agreed. "But I prefer cats."

Lisanna squealed. "I love cats! I've always wanted one. Do you have a cat?"

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned. "His name is Happy. He's great. I should bring him over sometime. I think you'd like him."

Lisanna nodded, vigorously. "Please do!"

They settled (or rather Natsu did as Lisanna was perfectly comfortable sitting on anything) in the short grass along the side of the house.

"You're hard to see in the light." He noted. It seemed to pass right through her.

"Oh." She said. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"Oh I don't know." She giggled. "What does one say to that? Tell me about modern technology. Or about your friends. Or about how you can get me out of here. Or anything."

"Anything?"

"I want to hear voices again." She said.

Well he was happy to oblige. "Okay so this is a cell phone." He pulled his out. "And it lets me talk to all of my friends and check the time and do some other stuff." He chattered on, cheerfully for several minutes relaying all of the things he considered to be the height of human technology to Lisanna who oohed over how useful they were.

Eventually the topic switched to his friends and Lisanna put in bits about her own life and what her siblings had been like and they spent so much time just letting Lisanna hear voices that it was lunchtime and Natsu hadn't even proposed any plan for freeing Lisanna though they had decided that was their objection. Free her in whatever way they could.

Natsu stood up and stretched. "Lunchtime! I'll be back and we can finally make a plan."

Lisanna nodded, happily. "Okay! I'll be waiting here."

Natsu plowed his way back through the grass, thinking maybe he should fix this place up a little if he was going to be spending a lot time there.

He bought two sandwiches from the closest shop he could find and started eating them as he walked back to the cottage.

The whole trip took him about half an hour so he was surprised to see the waver outline of Lisanna still seated where he had left her.

"I'm back." He announced through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Natsu." She said, pleasantly. Then she spied the sandwiches. "Is that a turkey sandwich?"

"Muh uh." He mumbled, then swallowed. "I got turkey and ham. You want some-oh."

"Yeah." She said. "I can't eat."

Natsu felt a little guilty about that, but it didn't stop him from eating the sandwiches.

Once he finished, he said, "So Lucy said that ghosts are usually tied to one specific thing or place for a reason."

"What's the reason?"

"Something to do with the reason they're still here which is something to do with their death." He shrugged. "It's all very vague. Sometimes there's a particular object the ghost is tied to. If you have one of those we could move it around so you could leave. Can you think of any object?"

Lisanna shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I think I'm tied to the place itself."

"Okay, well it was worth a shot. Hmm…" He said, thoughtfully. "Don't suppose you know what's keeping you, do you?"

She took a deep breath (or gave the appearance of doing so) and said, "I might."

"Really?" Natsu said, excitedly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It was hard to put into words…" She trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"I've always been…afraid." She said. "Of death."

"Most people are." Natsu said.

She laughed, faintly. "Yeah, but this was different. I wasn't afraid of death itself so much. I was afraid that after I died I would be forgotten. That nothing I'd done in my life would matter and I wouldn't have touched anyone enough to effect anything." She looked away from him. "That's silly, of course. A silly reason to stay as a ghost, where I can't effect anything at all." She sighed. "But that's the only reason I can think of. I need proof that I was remembered."

Natsu was silent for a moment. "You're right. It is silly. You know why?"

She looked at the grass and shook her head.

"Because you're pretty unforgettable."

She looked up. "You think so?"

"Definitely."

* * *

They were both silent for a moment, looking away from each other and blushing slightly before Natsu said, "At least we have a plan now!"

"We do?" Lisanna said.

"Yeah! It's like you said, we need to find proof that you were remembered."

"How do we do that?" She wondered.

"I'm not sure." Natsu admitted. "Let's start by tracking down your family."

Lisanna's eyes widened. "You could do that?"

"Probably!" Natsu said, brimming with optimism. "There's lot of information you can find on the internet and if we can't find anything there, I guess we'll have to hit the books. We'll do it, Lisanna! You'll see! We'll free your soul!"

It was only then that he realized maybe he didn't want to, but that was such an absurd thought to have over a friend of only a day that he quickly pushed it aside.

"That's great!" Lisanna said, excitedly. "How do we start?"

She seemed happy so Natsu decided he was too.

He made a quick decision in his head. "I'll run home and bring my laptop and Happy back. Then we can start researching."

"Happy?" Lisanna said. "Why are you bringing your cat? Not that I mind!"

"He can keep us company as we research." Natsu grinned. "Besides, you said you wanted to see him."

"Sounds great!" Lisanna smiled. "Hurry back!" She called as he raced off. "And drink some water while you're at home! You've been running around in the sun all day!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, mother!"

"I'm not your mom! I just figure one of us being dead is enough!" She stuck her tongue out at him to let him know she was joking.

He laughed, somewhat awkwardly.

This trip home was tedious but Natsu was glad to see Happy. He did as Lisanna asked and drank a glass of water before slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder, putting Happy on a leash and walking back.

Fortunately, the day was cooler than it looked so they were both still feeling in good health by the time they made it to the cottage. Natsu wondered if ghosts could feel temperature. He suspected not.

Happy seemed somewhat wary of the house which was odd. Didn't cats usually like places full of mice and rats?

Then again, there have been stories of animals being unusually sensitive to supernatural activity.

This stories seemed to be true as even though Lisanna had faded out of view, Happy spotted her immediately.

Lisanna noticed him as well. "Aww!" She exclaimed. "He's so cute!"

"He's pretty great." Natsu agreed. "Aren't you, buddy?" He scratched him on the top of his head. Happy purred.

Lisanna crouched down in front of the cat and held out her hand.

He sniffed it. Paused. Sniffed it again.

"He's not getting a scent." Lisanna realized. She sighed. "I can't touch him anyways so I guess it doesn't matter." Then in one of her rapid-fire changes of mood she smiled. "Do you have the…laptop? Can we start searching?"

"Uh yeah!" Natsu said. "Maybe we should go back inside though so the laptop doesn't overheat and Happy doesn't run off."

"Oh. Of course." She said, flitting off with them following.

They closed the door behind them and took Happy off his leash, praying he wouldn't find a way to escape.

Then they camped on the floor and Natsu opened the laptop.

Lisanna stared in amazement as images filled the screen.

"What's that?"

"It's just my desktop background." It was a picture of him with Lucy, Gray and Erza. Tiny icons dotted the screen.

"I don't know what that means, but okay. Where do we start?"

It was eerie. Having her over his shoulder, but unable to feel her presence.

"Damn it!" Natsu cursed. "I just realized. We don't have wifi."

"Wifi?" Lisanna asked.

"We need it to connect to the internet."

"And the internet is?"

Natsu sighed in the frustration. "The point is we can't research here."

"Oh no!" Lisanna sighed. "Now what do we do?"

"I guess we could try….the library. I could bring some books back here, maybe. Or I could do some research on my own." He'd rather not in all honesty. Researching on his own sounded boring. On the other hand, he wasn't entirely certain where the library was.

Lisanna seemed on the fence herself. "Which one would you prefer?"

She was still in disarmingly close proximity and though he felt no presence he could still see her. The effect was…beguiling.

"Um…" He hesitated, momentarily lost in her blue eyes. They already seemed so blue. How intense must the color have been when she was alive?

That thought led to dark places so he brushed it away. It had helped him make his decision however.

"I'll go get books." He said. "After all," he added. "I'll need your information to help me research."

"Of course. I'll watch after Happy." She volunteered.

So he set out, wondering how his plans for the summer had taken such a turn and why he trusted the ghost he had just met to look after his cat.

He ended up texting Lucy for directions to the library and by the time he had found the books he would need it was getting quite late in the afternoon so he hurried by as best he could being burdened by so many books.

But when he arrived (and set all the books on the dusty floor) neither Lisanna nor Happy were anywhere to be seen.

"Guys?" He called. No reply.

In an odd mimicry of their first meeting, Natsu ventured into the kitchen, looking around, and then up the stairs.

This time however, there was no sobs or wails (fortunately), instead there were voices. Well just one voice. Hers, of course.

Eavesdropping wasn't Natsu's style, but something told him this was a conversation he best not interrupt.

"This used to be Mirajane's room." Lisanna was saying. Who was she talking to? Herself?

He heard a meow. Oh. Of course.

"She had it really nice and neat. I have a lot of fond memories of talking with her in here. I still can't believe she's gone. Nothing to say to that, Happy?"

The cat was silent.

"That's alright." She said. "I didn't expect you to say anything. I know you're listening anyways." She sighed.

"Seeing this place so broken makes me miss her all the more, and Elfman, too, of course. I really do want to see them again in whatever lies beyond but…" She lowered her voice. It sounded almost ashamed. "I'm scared. What if I just cease to exist? Just because ghosts are real, doesn't mean the afterlife is. There's more than that too, Happy. Before, I would've been happy to disappear. Surely, anything was better than this endless solitude."

Natsu peered through the keyhole, fascinated. There was something so mesmerizing about her. Everything she did seemed magical, ethereal, and not just because she was a ghost.

In fact, Natsu imagined that alive she would've been incredible. So full of vigor and spirit.

Lisanna got up from the crumbling bed she was sitting on. "But now…" Her voice was softer still. "This is silly. I've only just met him."

Him? Who? Wait…him. She was talking about him?!

He listened harder.

"And I know he's the first person I've talked to in years, but I still….don't want to leave him." She paused. "I'm going to see my siblings again though. Maybe even my parents. For them, I can face the fear."

There was silence for a moment. She sat back down on the bed and kicked her legs up and down idly.

Natsu leaned against the door harder, hand on the door knob. He somehow twisted it and fell into the room with a yelp.

"Natsu!" Lisanna stood up, surprised. "Are you alright?"

"Fine! Fine!" He yelped.

"Um…how long were you standing there?"

"I wasn't!" He lied. "I was just looking for you two and I tripped on my way through the door."

"Oh." Lisanna said, perplexed. "Because it looked like you fell into room because you were leaning against the door."

"Definitely wasn't doing that." He said.

"Right…"

"I got the books!" He said. "Yo-you still want to research, right?" Dare he hope she say no?

"Of course." She said. Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

In any other circumstances Natsu would've called her out on it. He wouldn't want any of his friends to do something that would make them unhappy, but here she seemed to have made up her mind. She would pass on to the afterlife and be with her family. It was only right. She was a ghost. She didn't belong here.

So he said nothing, just walked out of the room and into the living room to begin researching for a way to free her soul.

* * *

There was still a lingering sense of awkwardness as they camped out in the remains of the living room to begin their research. It was dark and dusty in there and they considered going back outside before settling on opening a few windows. Natsu promised to bring a light and some other amenities next time he came, and was it just him or did she smile a little brighter when he said he would be back?

They didn't get much research done that day. They kept finding ways to be get distracted. Natsu would ask a question and Lisanna would answer which would lead to a story which would digress further from the point before one of them snapped back to it.

All in all, it soon became quite late and Natsu resolved to go home.

"When will you be back?" She asked, tentatively after they'd rounded up Happy.

"Tomorrow." He said, evasively.

She nodded. "I'll see you then."

Arms loaded with books and Happy's leash in one hand, he looked quite the sight walking through town and while on the outside he might appear his usual carefree self, his thoughts were tumultuous. Unusually so for him, but he had never before been in a situation where he might be required to choose between a friend, and a friend's happiness. Or more likely, be able to do nothing as she made the decision herself.

Tumultuous thoughts in head, the rest of the evening passed slowly and he found himself wishing he had stayed with Lisanna.

Perhaps some of my other friends want to hang out, he thought, but none of them answered their phones to his annoyance.

He ended up ordering in that night and spent the evening talking to Happy who may not have replied in English, but he was a good listener.

The next morning however, he hesitated. Maybe he should see his other friends first.

He couldn't figure out why he didn't want to go over. Was it because he was getting attached too quickly and didn't want to lose her? This was true, but not his reasoning. He would gladly set aside his own happiness for the sake of a friend. No, he was reasoning was that he didn't want to make things harder for her to leave.

The flaw in this plan was that she wouldn't be able to leave at all without his help. He was stuck.

So he packed a bag full of things, the books, a few flashlights, a blanket to sit on and took Happy's leash in hand before walking back to the cottage.

They had a full day to work. Surely, this could be resolved quickly and with as little pain as possible.

This turned out to be an optimistic way of thinking as even with Natsu's (somewhat failed) attempts to keep them on track they made extremely little progress with their chosen task: locating Lisanna's family tree.

The day passed quickly regardless, and it was that afternoon that Lisanna said, "Is something the matter, Natsu? You seem sort of withdrawn." She frowned. "Or else I'm misreading things after not talking to anyone for eighty years."

Natsu couldn't bring himself to lie to her. "I heard you talking to Happy yesterday." He blurted.

"You what?" Her eyes widened.

"I didn't mean to!" He protested. "I was looking for you and Happy!"

"You found us." She noted.

"Yeah." He said, awkwardly before forging on. "So I heard what you said…about me and about…leaving."

"You…did?" She said, uneasily.

He nodded. "This must be hard enough for you as is, I don't want to make it more difficult for you to leave if that's really what you want."

"I-." Her voice broke. "It is."

"Great. Glad we've got that figured out."

"I don't mean-" She stamped her foot in frustration but it made no sound. She tried to take his hand, but her fingers passed through his feeling like nothing more than a cool breeze.

"I need to move on." She said. "But this are my last few days on Earth. I want to make them count. They still have meaning, to me. But I couldn't ask it of you to invest heart in something temporary."

"Of course, you could." Natsu said, instantly. "I'd do it. I'll make your last few days great ones if you want me to."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course." He said, again.

"You're really something, Natsu." She said.

"Thanks." He grinned. "Are we going to get back to work now?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," she said. "Can we just…take our time? Savor these moments?"

"If that's what you want." He said, resolutely. "I'd like nothing better."

The rest of the afternoon passed even quicker and they made even less progress but neither of them regretted it. Their minds were clear. They knew what needed to be done.

They fell into a rhythm over the next few days. Natsu would arrive they would talk and read, searching for Lisanna's family tree or any mention of her. At some point, Natsu would get lunch and later that day he would leave to go home. Sometime he would leave early or arrive late, spending time with his friends which he would tell Lisanna about.

Despite their surprising lack of progress in even locating a current family tree for Lisanna's line, Natsu couldn't bring himself to feel sad.

Any bit of progress was a step close towards Lisanna being gone and he didn't want that despite helping her in her quest to let her move on.

He was holding up their agreement as well, ensuring these last days were good ones. Somedays they did absolutely nothing but have fun. Natsu downloaded a movie one time to show her on his computer.

She was suitably impressed and the movie was good. That was a happy day. Natsu would look back on it fondly in years to come.

It was also the day, she whispered, almost unintelligibly, "I wish we could stay this way forever."

Natsu didn't know what to say to that because for oh-so-many reasons, they couldn't.

* * *

Natsu and Lisanna had found a good many things but as Lisanna was still here, none of them had been the right one. They'd learned both of Lisanna's siblings had gotten married and had kids so presumably her line continued on to this day though they hadn't found a current family tree. They learned ages and dates and facts and figures and several things that had brought Lisanna to the brink of tears and still, they had learned nothing substantial.

They refused to give up hope, however and each day without progress was another day of happiness.

Eventually, they pulled out news paper clippings. Birth announcements, wedding, relevant bits of information…and obituaries.

It was the last of these that sparked an interesting conversation.

They were going through the clippings with mixed excitement and apprehension, reading each of them with some intrigue until they stumbled upon one entitled Lisanna Ametriste. It immediately caught their attention and for good reason.

It was an obituary. The paper was worn and parched but Natsu could make out most of the text. There wasn't much, most of the segment was taken up by a picture of the girl beside him though she looked to be a few years younger in it.

The piece was short but heartfelt. Somehow reading it made her death feel more real. Before her death was just an afterthought in his mind. Something he knew had happened but never really processed. Now he realized it was something he needed to know more about, if only so it would seem real enough he could let her go.

"Lisanna?" Natsu asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said, uneasily. Her ghostly fingers hovered inches in front of the scrap of paper but she made no attempt to touch it. "You want to know how it happened, don't you? How I died?"

He nodded.

"Okay." She said. "It's no great story but I'll tell it to you."

Natsu had rather expected more of a fuss but he was pleased he hadn't gotten one.

"It was over eighty years ago now." She said. "And it was very near here. Just outside this house."

"The river?" Natsu guessed.

Lisanna nodded. "Or the rocks below the cliff, I suppose…"

"That's terrible." Natsu said.

"Yes." Lisanna smiled, crookedly. "It was the worst experience of my life…and my last. I was outside, looking at all the animals and I had grown careless. I have lived almost my whole life in this cottage. The creek didn't scare me any more, but it should have. I was following a wild rabbit, trying to see how close to it I could get, and I followed until it was about a foot away from the stream.I reached for it. The rabbit darted away and I was left standing less than a foot away from the stream. I thought the ground was stable there but it turned out not to be. The dirt slipped out from under me and I fell into the stream. The water was so cold." Her voice trembled and her eyes looked far away. "And the current was so strong. It swept me away. I was terrified. I knew the creek turned into a waterfall and that the water dashed against the hard rock face below."

She continued the story, voice steady, unattached. "I tried to call for help. I don't know if I made a sound through all the water filling my mouth and lungs, but if I did no one heard me because the current swept me further along. I thought I was going to drown. I couldn't tell what was happening but then, I was falling…falling…falling. My stomach was turning, heart in my throat beating frantically…It was the impact that killed me. I woke up here, in this house. I didn't believe it had happened at first, but I did in time. That first year was the worst. I don't want to talk about it, but my siblings left this house soon after my death. I guess it held too many painful memories for them."

She paused for a moment. Natsu was stunned.

"So you see." She said. "It was a stupid death. A foolish death. I didn't help anyone or do anything important. I died because of my own carelessness. Maybe that's why I can't move on."

"Hey." He said. "You existed. That means you mattered. We all effect people in lots of different ways all the time, without even realizing it. You mattered to your siblings, probably some of your old friends. And…you matter to me."

"Yeah?" She said.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Then let's get back to work."

They resumed going through the papers in silence, making comments to one another every now and then. Occasionally one of them would say something funny and make the other laugh. They felt content.

There were a lot of papers to go through and so neither of them were surprised when they didn't find anything helpful before the end of the day.

It was routine now to gather up all of the things and Happy and say their good byes. Natsu had taken up promising to come back and Lisanna had taken up reminding him to eat something healthier than take out and so they parted in good spirits for the day.

Natsu slept deeply that night and he dreamed vividly. In his dream, he was at the cottage but it didn't look as it did now. It looked clean and whole and new, how it must've looked when Lisanna had lived there.

But this didn't seem odd to him, in fact the place felt…like home. It was very pleasant.

Lisanna was there too and she was alive. She was in full color with gleaming white hair and blue eyes shining bright and when she touched his arm to get his attention her fingers didn't pass through. Instead, they sent tingles up Natsu's arm, like her touch was electric.

She beckoned him into the kitchen where a table was set up, laden with food that Natsu somehow knew she had cooked herself.

They ate together in comfortable silence and when they had finished Lisanna said, "I love you, Natsu."

Then the dream faded leaving a sense of deep-rooted contentment that stayed with him until he woke up.

* * *

It was that day that they had a breakthrough.

Natsu had been busy that morning but he'd come to the house shortly after lunch and Lisanna had greeted him with a smile as she always did.

They spent some time just talking as they did per their agreement before getting to work.

They knew exactly where to start but at first it turned up nothing interesting.

But then they found another family tree. They were doubtful that it would be more useful than any of the others they had found, but lo and behold, it went all the way to present.

And at the bottom of Mirajane's line was one fateful word.

Lisanna.

The family name had changed to Strauss at some point but Lisanna had a still living great, great, grand niece who was named after her.

When Lisanna saw it, she made a gasping sound (thought no air was in taken). "Is that…?"

Natsu grinned. "It's proof that you were remembered. I told you we'd find it!" His grin faded as he realized what that meant.

"Even now." She whispered. "Eighty years in the future. My memory lives on. How would they? How would they even know about me? Let alone care enough to name a child after me."

"Your siblings must've told stories about you." Natsu surmised.

"Yeah." She glowed. "I was remembered."

Then it happened. The air grew cold. Wind howled on a still humid day. Lisanna's form flickered. Golden light shone down from the roof, its source unknown.

And Lisanna began to rise up, not of her own volition but as though she were being sucked upwards by a black hole.

The look of happiness on her face was suddenly replaced by fear and she reached out wildly with pale hands.

She snagged Natsu's hand.

"What?!" He shouted. "How did-?"

"I don't know!" She cried. "But please don't let go!"

"But, Lisanna!" He said. "You need to go! If you don't, you may be stuck here forever."

"I don't want to leave you…" She whimpered, holding his hand tighter.

"You've got to!" He cried. "Don't you want to see your siblings again?"

"I-I do!" She cried. "I really do. I miss them so much I feel like I'm going crazy sometimes, but when I'm with you-"

The wind roared louder. "You have to go!" He pleaded. He could feel his resolve beginning to weaken however. He desperately wanted her to stay.

"I think I'm in love with you!" She shouted.

Natsu's heart stopped. His outstretched hand went slack and only Lisanna's grip kept her from flying away.

"N-Natsu?" Her voice sounded so very small.

Was that what this was? What all these feelings were? But he knew it didn't matter.

"I think I'm in love with you too." He said. "So that's why I've got to do this. That's why I've got to free your soul."

"N-Natsu." She said again.

"Good bye, Lisanna." He bit his lip, eyes burning. Then he released his grip on her hand.

"Good bye, Natsu!" She shouted. "Thank you for all your help!"

Just like the first time he had seen her, she was sobbing with no tears tracking down her face.

She floated up, flickered, once, twice, three times, and then was gone.

Natsu sank to the ground. His heart felt as heavy as lead. All was quiet.

Time passed. Happy came over and nudged Natsu and he stroked him absently.

Eventually it grew late and Natsu stood up robotically, disbelieving and gathered up his things to go home.

He did not promise to be back. Lisanna did not tease him about something or other. No words were exchanged.

He walked home, set his stuff down in a pile. To hell with the fees the library would give him for damaging them.

It was dinner time so he grabbed a bag of chips, a few granola bars and whatever other crap he could find around the house and crawled into bed with them. He wasn't planning on leaving for a while.

* * *

It was three days and Lucy was getting worried about him.

He'd been pretty much useless for those three days, moping about the house, sleeping at odd hours and eating cheese puffs out of the bag.

He wondered why he didn't feel better yet.

He'd called Lucy on the first day asking her to bring him more food and since then she'd been checking in on him and growing increasingly more worried.

On the evening of the third night she'd barged in and demanded to know what was wrong with him.

"You've yet to give me a straight answer, Natsu!" She complained. "This isn't like you!"

"Now it is." He said. "I'm going to stay inside here and do nothing until I feel better."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Are you sure that isn't a bit overly dramatic?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"Ask me in the morning."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"Is it?"

"You've been really busy for the past few weeks and now you're doing absolutely nothing. What's wrong?"

He was silent for a moment, turbulent emotions returning.

"She's gone!" He shouted suddenly.

"Who is?" Lucy said, startled.

"Lisanna!" He cried. "I had to let her go! She couldn't stay here!"

"Th-the ghost?" Lucy said, quietly.

"Yes!" He raged. "I bet you don't even believe me, but it happened! She was real! She was real and kind and wonderful and now she's gone!"

Lucy bit her lip worriedly. "What happened, Natsu? Tell me."

So he told her the story. In short, angry sentences as best he could. He told her the story of befriending a ghost and of loving someone who couldn't stay (though he never used the word love.)

And when he was finished, he turned away from her and crawled back into bed.

She followed him though, because she was a kind person and Natsu knew she loved her friends dearly.

"I believe you." She said. "I've known you for a long time and you've never lied to me before about anything this important."

Natsu said nothing and something must've betrayed his mood because he thought Lucy could tell he was roiling with emotions.

"Okay." She said. "I'll be back later. I hope you're feeling better then."

She left.

He didn't feel better. For some reason, he now felt violently angry. Angry at himself for letting her go. Angry at her for not staying. Angry at Lucy for God knows what reason.

He spent a few days in this state. Lucy kept visiting him but she didn't stay long, unable to do anything to make him feel better.

His anger faded then, but it was replaced by different thoughts.

It occurred to him maybe there was a way to get her back.

What if he was really good and the universe rewarded him? What if he could summon her somehow? What if…

These thoughts faded very quickly when he realized that no. He couldn't bring her back and even if he could, he wouldn't, because she needed to move on. She needed to be in the afterlife and she needed to not be alone anymore.

Because if she was brought back here soon enough, she would be alone once more.

And Natsu couldn't have that.

So away she would stay. Natsu would just have to live with it.

The thought depressed him but he would have to get on with his life sooner or later.

Natsu was feeling later at the moment.

* * *

Natsu had dragged himself out onto the couch to watch whatever crap was on TV when Lucy knocked on the door.

Knowing it was pointless to refuse her, he shouted, "Come in!"

"I can't!" She complained. "You left the door locked!"

Natsu shut off the TV and got up, complaining to open the door. If he didn't, she'd stay outside until he let her in or found some way to get in herself.

"I've decided," she began, walking in without invitation. "That you're going outside today."

"Why should I do that?" He said, irritably.

"Because I'm pretty sure you haven't been out in days!" She said. "That can't be helping your mood. You're a people person. You need social interaction. Meeting new people will help. I read so online."

"Yeah?" He said, dubiously. He'd gone back to feeling numb now. "Where are we going?"

"Cana Alberona's throwing a party while her dad's out of town."

"I don't want to go to a party."

"Oh come on! You love parties! There'll be booze and food and you'll probably get into a fight with Gray! Everyone's gonna be there."

Natsu felt a flicker of happiness at the thought. He considered it.

"Pleeeaaase?'"

He sighed. "Fine." He couldn't stay in here forever.

"Yay! Go get changed." She said.

"What's wrong with this?" He asked.

"You've been wearing that for like the last five days." She said, matter-of-factly.

Natsu supposed he saw the logic so he trudged to his room emerging a few moments later in a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Good enough." Lucy said when she saw him.

It was then that Natsu noticed she was dressed a bit nicer than normal.

They set out.

"Is Loke going to be there?" Natsu asked, absently.

"Wha-" Lucy said. "Uh I dunno…he does what he wants."

Natsu said nothing.

They walked in silence.

Soon enough they approached Cana's house and were greeted by the sounds of chatter. People were still arriving but everyone already seemed to be having a good time.

Natsu was not feeling it but he allowed himself to be lead into the house after Lucy.

Cana greeted them warmly, beer in hand. "Heyyyy." She grinned. "Glad you guys could make it. There's beer and stuff. Help yourselves to whatever."

"Um thanks, Cana," said Lucy, who rarely drank. "We will."

"Oh yeah, Lucy." Cana said, sliding an arm around her shoulder. "Loke was asking about you."

"He was!? He's here?!" She screeched.

"Yeah." Cana smirked. "I can take you to him if you w-"

"Oh no! That's okay! You don't have to! I wouldn't want-"

"It's no problem." Cana interrupted, steering her away. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"Um!" Lucy looked faintly panicked. "Not really what I was worried about…"

But she made no effort to resist Cana's lead.

This left Natsu standing awkwardly alone in the foyer.

He was considering getting a drink and maybe starting a fight with Gray when the door swung open behind him.

And in walked the last person he expected to see.

She was about his age and several inches shorter than him. Her hair was cut short in a cute pixie cut going down to her chin, but her eyes were the most vivid blue and completely unmistakable. Her hair gleamed white and her expression was one of bright optimism. She was dressed in a blue party dress and she looked heart-stoppingly like Lisanna Ametriste would if she were alive.

In a moment of madness, he panicked and said, "Lisanna!"

The door swung shut behind her and she froze. "Do I know you?"

"Yes!" He shouted. Then realization hit him like a bucket of ice water. "I mean…no."

This couldn't be his Lisanna, no matter how much he might wish it.

"But…you said my name?" She looked puzzled.

Damn. How was he getting out of this one without her thinking him crazy?

"Um. Your name is Lisanna?" He said.

"Yeah." She said, slowly. "My name is Lisanna Strauss." She stuck out her hand and Natsu shook it. "I just moved to town, but Cana was nice enough to invite me to this party." She smiled.

Of course! This was Lisanna's great, great grand niece as weird as it sounded. And she looked just like her. What were the odds of her happening to move to the town her ancestor had lived in mere days after said ancestor had officially departed this world?

Maybe the universe was rewarding him or maybe it was sheer coincidence.

In either case, Natsu was going to take advantage of it. If this Lisanna was anything like the other one, they would be good friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lisanna." Natsu said. "I had a friend. She looked just like you and her name was also Lisanna."

"Really?" Lisanna Strauss said, surprised. "That's weird. What happened to her?"

Natsu shifted. "She had to go away." He said. He didn't feel up to unloading the whole story to a girl he had just met no matter how much she reminded him of Lisanna Ametriste. Besides, there was no way she'd believe him.

"Come on." He smiled. "I can introduce you to some people. My name is Natsu Dragneel. Are you liking our town?"

"Hello, Natsu Dragneel." She nodded. "Yes. It's very nice. So was my old town but the people here are friendlier. I think I'm going to like it here."

They continued talking as they walked into the living room and Natsu made a few introductions.

"Lucy." Natsu began. "This is Lisanna."

Lucy turned from where she was talking with Loke and Cana, eyes widening.

"Li-" She began.

Natsu tried to send her a look that said, "I'll explain later."

It seemed to get across because she changed tact. "Hello, Lisanna." She said, brightly. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Hello, Lucy!" Lisanna replied.

They all struck up a conversation. Lisanna Strauss was cheerful and easy to talk to, much like his Lisanna and conversation flowed freely.

Natsu was feeling much happier now. The sorrow he felt was not gone, of course, but it felt like he could manage it now. Like maybe he could get through this and be happy again.

As Lisanna revealed she would be attending the same school as them in the fall, Natsu thought he just might.


End file.
